Knitting machine and more particularly a flat knitting machine having needle beds and needles for producing fabric with narrowings and with open work patterns



P 3, 1963 F. SEILER 04 KNITTING MACHINE AND MORE PARTICULARLY A FLAT KNITTING MACHINE HAVING NEEDLE BEDS AND NEEDLES FOR PRODUCING FABRIC WITH NARROWINGS AND WITH OPEN WORK PATTERNS Filed Feb. 25, 1961 INVENTOR FRITZ- sEI -E R ATTORNEYS United States. Patent KNllITlNG MACHINE AND MURE PARTICULARLY A FLAT KNITTING MACHINE HAVING NEEDLE BEDS AND NEEDLES FOR PRODUCKNG FABRIC WliTl-l NARRUWINGS AND WITH OPEN WORK PATTERNS Fritz Seller, Auvernier, Neuehatel, Switzerland, assignmto Edouard Dnbied et Cie (Societe Anonyrne), Couvet, @wltzerland Filed Feb. 23, 1961, Ser. No. 91,618 Claims priority, application Germany Feb. 23, 1960 3 Claims. (Cl. ode-64) The present invention relates to. a knitting machine.

and more particularly to a flat knitting machine having needle beds and needles for producing goods with narrowed width as well as open work patterns etc., obtained by the transfer of stitches from the needles of the one needle bed to the needles of the other needle bed and vice versa by the needles alone i.e. without requiring the usual relative displacement of the needle beds.

To this end it is already known to spread the stitches to be transferred from the delivery needles by means of lateral stops, \l-shaped hooks, stirrups or the like, whereby these spreading members provided at the needles generally extend to the right over the path of the adjacent opposite needle. It is also known in the art to use knitting needles having a shaft provided with a lateral recessed cranking.

Moreover it is well known as Well in flat knitting and also in circular knitting machines to provide sliding parts adapted to press the needles of the one needle bed with their heads in an inclined position against the needles of the opposite needle bed, whereby to this end the deflected needles are provided with a shaft portion weakened at one side. Further by means of two toothed wheels the lateral deflection of the needle hooks is sought.

The broad spreading members for spreading the stitches as they are used in the mentioned devices for transferring the stitches by the needles and without racking out the needle beds have the drawback that the excessive exten-.

sion of the stitches during the transfer operation results in a loosely knitted fabric. Additionally the sliding parts acting upon the needle heads are delicate to adjust as they do not have a positive action and moreover they lead to rapid wear and increased breaking tendency of the needle heads. The use of toothed wheels for effecting the deflection finally requires costly and roomy additional elements and also requires very accurate adjustment.

Finally it is also known to provide transfer needles with lateral spreading springs, the latter being of stepped shape, the steps being expected to provide a smooth and as *far as possible .tensiondree widening of the stitch to be transferred.

It is a prime object of the present invention to obtain, through a particular structure of the needle beds, and of the transfer needles and by their arrangement in the needle beds, a transfer without excessive extension of the transferred stitch owing to a safe penetration of the receiving needle into the spreading spring of the shortly deflected opposite needle carrying the stitch to be transferred. Thereby particularly in fine gage knitting inachines, there is obtained a perfect, close-stitched structure of the knitted fabric with narrowed width.

To this end according to the present invention each of the two needle beds, in addition to knocking over bits etc., is provided in its middle portion with at least a pair of usual needle bed walls for guiding a conventional knitting needle and at both sides of these Walls and of said needle there are arranged in rnirror-picture condition needle bed walls each provided with a lateral deflecting projection and special transfer needles having stepwisely arranged spreading springs, with the projections and also ice the spreading springs being directed towards the middle of the needle bed.

Thereby in simple and very appropriate manner a safe deflection and positioning of the transfer needles are o tained whereby it is possible to narrow at will the fabric at both edges and at each carriage stroke owing to the mirnror-picture arrangement of the stitch transfer members at both sides.

Thereby preferably the lateral deflecting projections of the needle bed walls cooperate each With the forward portion of the needle shaft of a needle in such manner that the projection during the stitch formation slides in a lateral guiding groove of this forward portion of the needle shaft. without influencing the direction of movement thereof, while for the transfer of the stitch by a needle this projection deflects the needle shaft towards the needle bed middle and the receiving needle, respectively.

Moreover it may be advantageous to anrange the spreading spring on the side of the shaft opposite to that of the guiding groove and to provide the spring additionally with a positioning shoulder cooperating, when the stitch is transferred, in timed relationship with the associated knocking over bit in order to precisely determinate the lateral deflection of the forward portion of the needle shaft between the knocking over bit and the deflecting projection.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description now to follow, of a preferred embodiment thereof, given by way of example only and in which reference will be made to the accompanying, purely diagrammatical drawings, in which:

FlGURE l is a plan view of the upper portion of a needle bed plate provided with a conventional knitting needle and with two types of special transfer needles embodying the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view taken. along the line IIII of FIGURE 1.

FIGURES 3 and 4 illustrate in lateral and top view respectively and on an enlarged scale an embodiment of a needle bed wall, and

FIGURES 5 and 6 illustrate, again in side and top view respectively and on an enlarged scale an embodirnent of the forward portion of a transfer needle.

Referring now to the drawing reference numerals '1, 2, 3 and 3a designate knocking over bits and needle bed walls forming an upper needle bed plate 6 provided with needles 4, 5 and 544 having grooves adapted to receive transfer needles 5, 5a. These grooves are laterally limited by the needle bed walls 3 and 3a which are provided each with a deflecting projection 7 directed towards the needle bed middle. In the center of the needle bed plate 6 there are arranged at least two conventional needle bed walls 2 and in the grooves rformed thereby there is 'arranged a conventional knitting needle 4. To the left and to the right of this conventional arrangement there are arranged the needle bed walls 3 and 3a with the projections 7 and the spaces between these walls receive the knitting and transfer needles 5 and 5a.

The forward portion of the shaft 3 of each of the needles 5, 5a has a guiding groove 9 cooperating with the deflecting projection 7 of the adjacent needle bed wall and on the side of the shaft opposite to the groove 9 there is secured a spreading spring 10 directed towards the needle bed middle and being step-shaped. This spring 10 has a positioning step ll brought to engagement with the associated knocking over bit 1 by the projection 7 when the needles 5, 5a are displaced into their transfer position.

By the arrangement in mirror-picture condition of the special knitting and transfer needles 5 and 5a in front and 5a and 5 at the rear to the left and to the right of the conventional knitting needle 4.- placed exactly in the needle bed center an equal spacing is obtained between the hooks of the mentioned needles 5, 4 and 5a in the middle zone of the needle bed which spacing affords the manufacture of a regular stitch particularly with fine machine gages. Since the spreading springs 1d of the knitting and transfer needles 5, 5a are directed towards the needle bed middle the take down traction especially at the needles forming the edges of the knitted fabric does not act on these springs. Moreover during the transfer of the stitches the forward portion of the needle shaft 8 by the action of the deflecting projection 7 on the one hand, and of the positioning step 11 of the spring 10 on the other hand is brought into a precise deflection position. Thereby the opposite needle may safely penetrate into the stitch to be transferred, which stitch has been slightly opened a little by the spreading spring 10,

- so that a close stitched stitch formation may be obtained at the narrowed fabric edges.

According to FIGURES 1 and 2 during one carriage stroke the selected outer needles produce transfer stitches and all needlesie. the remainder of the outer needles as Well as all other needles cooperating in the knitting to produce normal stitches.

The outer needles 5 and 5a, respectively, are in transfer position. The forward portion of the needle shaft 8 is deflected by the projections '7 in direction toward the needle r'bed middle and takes a determinated position owing to the engagement of the positioning step 11 of spring 10 with the associated knocking over bit 1 so that between the shaft 8 land the spring 10 an unhindered penetration of the opposite receiving needle 5a and 5 respectively and thus an easy transfer of the stitch is effected. In FIGURE 1 there is represented within the outer needles some in stitch formation position whereby the projection '7 slides in the guiding groove 9 and for this reason does not deflect the forward needle shaft 8.

Moreover in the needle bed middle a knitting needle 4- 'and two knitting and transfer needles 4 and 5, 5a are flush with the knocking over cams or bits 1.

I claim:

1. A. knitting machine of the type having needle beds and needles adapted to produce narrowed fabric with with open work patterns by transferring stitches from the needles of the one needle bed to the needles of the other needle bed and vice versa by the needles alone without needle bed racking, in which each of the two needle beds, in addition to knocking over bits comprises, in its center portion, at least a pair of conventional needle bed walls for guiding a conventional knitting needle and in which at both sides of these walls and of the said needle there are arranged in mirror-picture condition needle bed Wallis each provided with a lateral deflecting projection and special knitting and transfer needles having stepwisely arranged spreading springs, the said projections and spreading springs being directed towards the needle bed middle V 2. A knitting machine as claimed in claim 1, including said spreading springs, and in which the said lateral deflecting projection of the needle bed Walls cooperates with a fiorward portion of the needle shaft of a needle so as to slide during the stitch formation in a lateral guiding groove of said forward needle shaft portion without deflecting the needle and to deflect the said needle shaft portion in direction toward the needle bedmiddle and to a receiving needle as a stitch is to be transferred by a needle. v

3. A knitting machine as claimed in claim 2, including knocking over bits, and in which each said spreading spring is arranged on the side of the shaft opposite to the shaft side comprising the guiding groove and is provided with a positioning means cooperating synchronously at the transfer of a stitch with the associated knocking over bit and precisely determinates the deflection of the said forward needle shaft portion between the said associated knocking over bit and the said deflecting projection.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A KNITTING MACHINE OF THE TYPE HAVING NEEDLE BEDS AND NEEDLES ADAPTED TO PRODUCE NARROWED FABRIC WITH WITH OPEN WORK PATTERNS BY TRANSFERRING STITCHES FROM THE NEEDLES OF THE ONE NEEDLE BED TO THE NEEDLES OF THE OTHER NEEDLE BED AND VICE VERSA BY THE NEEDLES ALONE WITHOUT NEEDLE BED RACKING, IN WHICH EACH OF THE TWO NEEDLE BEDS, IN ADDITION TO KNOCKING OVER BITS COMPRISES, IN ITS CENTER PORTION, AT LEAST A PAIR OF CONVENTIONAL NEEDLE BED WALLS FOR GUIDING A CONVENTIONAL KNITTING NEEDLE AND IN WHICH AT BOTH SIDES OF THESE WALLS AND OF THE SAID NEEDLE THERE ARE ARRANGED IN MIRROR-PICTURE CONDITION NEEDLE BED WALLS EACH PROVIDED WITH A LATERAL DEFLECTING PROJECTION AND SPECIAL KNITTING AND TRANSFER NEEDLES HAVING STEPWISELY ARRANGED SPREADING SPRINGS, THE SAID PROJECTIONS 